Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Top 5 Reflections and Goals from 2015

Boy, I really am dragging this Top 5 thing out, aren't I? To be fair, though, I think I've done a "goals" post every year that I've been regularly blogging. This one is a little late this year due to a particularly busy end-of-year run of posting over at the Curvy Sewing Collective and life getting in the way.

Top 5 (6?) Reflections from 2015's goals

I didn't use the "Top 5" format to set my sewing goals last year, and from going through my post, it looks like I set six actual sewing goals for myself last year. Here's my post from last year, where I reflected back on 2014 and set my goals for 2015.

I didn't track things to quantify this, but I feel like I generally did this. Discovering Japanese cottons this past year was a huge factor in my progress towards quality-over-quantity. Shopping local more was certainly helped by an office move to a location right off the bus line that stops very close to two of my favorite local indie stores.

4. Sew a water-resistant jacket with a hood.

Yeah, no. This was a carry-over goal from 2014, and it didn't happen in 2015, either. Without making too many excuses, there are a few reasons why this hasn't happened yet:

Up until December, we were having a really warm, dry year. Not having much need for said jacket certainly didn't help my motivation to actually sew the jacket.

Lack of commercial pattern options. Have you looked for a jacket like this? Then narrow the available options down to one that's available in a plus size range. There just aren't a whole lot of choices out there. Yes, I know that everyone loves the Sewaholic Minoru; I like it, too, but I am the exact opposite of the shape that Tasia drafts for AND outside of her size range. I can't imagine what a headache it would be to alter that pattern to fit.

Related to #2, I sort of have an idea in my head as far as what I want in a jacket, and of the few options out there, they're all missing some key feature. The closest is this BurdaStyle jacket from a few years ago, but A) I'm hesitant to tackle a garment type that I don't have a ton of experience in with Burda's notably sparse instructions and B) it has cut-on sleeves, and I don't know how I'd feel about that. I do have the pattern--I should get off my butt and at least muslin it.

3. Jeans! Jeans! Jeans!

I'm not sure how to score myself on this one. I made two pairs of StyleArc Misty jeans, which I love and wear all the time, AND they fit pretty decently. However, they're pull-on jeans, and not "real" jeans. In the "real" jeans department, I made a lot of progress with a Burda Plus pattern, but I'm still tweaking the fit a little bit. Partial credit?

2. Fit and sew a button-down blouse.

Done, thanks to the Blank Slate Marigold pattern. I've also muslined the Blank Slate Novelista and had a successful pattern test of another button-down shirt, which you'll be seeing when the pattern is released. I'm comfortable marking this one as "accomplished", but you'll be seeing more shirtmaking from me in 2016, as well.

1. Watch and complete the relevant projects for at least two of my Craftsy classes.

Partial credit on this one. I watched Kathleen Cheetham's plus size pant fitting class the whole way through and have been incorporating some of the adjustments that I learned from the class into my pant-fitting. I started watching numerous other classes but then got "Ooh Shiney!-ed" away from them. When I set this goal, I specifically had completion of Beverly Johnson's bra-making class and one or more of Suzy Furrer's sloper classes in mind, and while I started each of them (and found them interesting and engaging), in both cases I got distracted by other projects and didn't complete them.

Top 5 Goals for 2016

I'm a list-checker. Goals help motivate me. Here are the top 5 sewing goals that I want to accomplish in 2016:

5. Finally sew that rain jacket.

I'm carrying this one over again because it's a gaping hole in my closet. I need just get on with it and make something from an existing pattern and stop waiting for my "perfect pattern" to be released. If that pattern ever is released, there's no rule that says I can't make a second jacket.

4. Sew Eva's Halloween costume.

This was a goal in 2014 and should have been a goal in 2015, but I forgot to put it on the list. My mom used to sew my Halloween costume every year, and I want to carry on that tradition with my own daughter. However, for the past two years, the costumes that she's chosen (Elsa from Frozen and "a blue robot") have been major undertakings. As of right now, she says that for next Halloween, she either wants to be Elsa again (of course, 2014's dress no longer fits) or wants to be BB-8 from Star Wars--I can only imagine what a huge project turning a 4-year-old into a ball-shaped droid will be.

I am SO OVER paying $70+ each for RTW bras, and my current batch of RTW bras have seen better days. I would have hopped on the bra-making bandwagon of the past year or so sooner, but there aren't a ton of pattern options out there for large band and large cup sizes (I'll be writing more about this over at the CSC next month). I dropped a bunch of Christmas money on bra-making supplies, and I'm really hoping to develop a TNT bra pattern for myself this year that I can use to adapt to whatever style I want to make.

2. Start sewing my own underwear.

For years, I've worn Lane Bryant's underwear, usually purchased online. With my last few batches, though, I've noticed a lot of inconsistency in fit (even in the same size) and in the quality/type of elastic used. Everyone says that sewing your own underwear is fast (once you have a TNT pattern) and is a great use of scraps. I'm tired of paying $30 for a set of 5 new panties and finding out that only 2 of the pairs are actually comfortable to wear.

1. Develop skirt and bodice slopers for myself.

Like many others, I have Suzy Furrer's Craftsy skirt and bodice sloper classes sitting in my Craftsy queue. I would really like to start developing sloper patterns for myself. Now, I have read various places that while her skirt sloper drafting method work for most women, the bodice sloper is a lot trickier, especially if your measurements are outside of the industry standard norm. (My upper body measurements are light years away from the industry standard norm.) I'm going to give Suzy's classes a try first, since they are generally well-reviewed, but I'm looking at other options if her methods don't work for my uber-busty figure.

So that's it for my goals for this year. I think they're doable (I hope). How about you--are you setting sewing goals for yourself for 2016?

Yes--I have a few issues, and they do have a few jackets that I've liked. I'm hesitant for the same reason that I'm hesitant with the Burda. While Ottobre's instructions are MUCH better than Burda, they're still a little sparse for someone like me who hasn't sewn much outerwear.

I second Ottobre patterns! Nice sizing, and although the Ottobre trench coat I made last year had a lot of details and therefore took some time, it wasn't much harder to make than a buttoned shirt. Okay, a fully lined shirt. The pattern instructions were pretty good!

I actually own the Jalie City coat, and it's very close to what I want, but I really prefer zippers in rain coats over buttons (there's so much less fiddling). Honestly, if I could easily convert the Jalie to a fly-style zipper, I'd probably just go that route, but I'm not sure how to do that.

I'm jumping into bra making this month, I had a mastectomy a few week ago and having trouble with my new dimensions in RTW. I have a hip to waist ratio issue with typical patterns, so I would like to do my stashed sloper courses too (a panty slope.may come first). It'll be fun to watch your progress and I go through my parallel experience.

I'm jumping into bra making this month, I had a mastectomy a few week ago and having trouble with my new dimensions in RTW. I have a hip to waist ratio issue with typical patterns, so I would like to do my stashed sloper courses too (a panty slope.may come first). It'll be fun to watch your progress and I go through my parallel experience.

I have all of these same goal except the Halloween costume one. (My kids are grown. I used to make them costumes. One year when he was about 7 my oldest requested the Superman costume he saw at KMart "that already has the muscles". What can I say, I bought him the costume!)

I have some rainwear fabric, so I might just search for general how to sew rainwear tutorials and frankenpattern a hood onto a plain swing coat pattern I have already made...

Awesome goals! Here's one thing I'll say about underwear though - it takes a sizeable scrap to cover my sizeable ass. I find I can get about 2+ pairs from .5m of 60" fabric. Obviously, the bigger the fabric is, the more you can get creative with cutting and fit more pairs/m! I do love my homemade underwear though! Here's to bramaking and lingerie in 2016!!! :)

Hi - I'm wondering if you are aware of Connie Crawford patterns. Some of the designs look a little dowdy, but she has a sloper pattern for up to 6X and a princess seamed bodice that also goes to 6X - http://www.fashionpatterns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28_8_16&products_id=154 Since I've had a princess seamed sloper that fit (so much easier for me to sew than huge a** darts!), I've been able to Franken-pattern any collar, sleeve, etc. design onto the basic pattern bodice.

I've actually looked at her sloper patterns and might opt to go that route, if Suzy Furrer's methods don't work for me. Being so short and plus/uber-busty, I'm skeptical of any out-of-the-envelope sloper solution.

1. Yes! on the rain jacket. However, instead of struggling with a pattern, I'm going to continue my successful use of a clone of an ancient RTW jacket. I will use the collar and hood from the Minoru, though. LOVE stand-up collars. Speaking of cloning, would it work to turn the Clare pattern into a rain jacket?

2. And likewise Yes! on the bra-making. I've watched the Fairy Bra-Mother's Craftsy class and now feel much more confident about the sewing part. Fit is the challenge, and I have a bunch of questions lined up for BravoBella at Expo.

3. My third goal for 2016 is to solve the BHD (Big Honkin' Dart) Problem. My dart take-up is almost 9 inches which as a sewn dart Just. Does. Not. Work. (My first attempt in 2016 will be a new method of splitting one dart into two.)

P.S. You'll love having a TNT pattern for knickers (Brits have such a cozier word for underpants or panties). I finally, after many many many muslins, nailed my knickers pattern and it is WONDERFUL. Some stretchy knit, some knit elastic, 30 minutes and bam! new knickers. Faster than doing the laundry!

P.P.S. Re slopers: At the Seattle ASG retreats, I've watched members create slopers, and works of art they were, too. However, as I've helped folks (both men and women, and with major fitting challenges), I've found draping a sloper works out way more successfully. It does require someone to do the draping OR a bodyform that is an accurate clone.

P.P.P.S Love your pattern release posts, and can't wait to read what you have to say about the spring Vogues. (For the first time in ages, a Betzina pattern tickled my fancy.)

Yeah, I'm a little bummed that I'll be missing Pullayup this year (but only a little, because we'll be in London), and if I was going, I was definitely going to try to take any of Monica Bravo's classes that I could get into. I bought her knickers (yes, "knickers" is a much better sounding word!) pattern when it was on sale a few weeks ago--that's the first one I'll be trying.

Good luck with your goals! My main goal for the year is to make it to the end with a remnant of sanity still intact! As for sewing..... 1) I'd love to make a shirt dress that doesn't pop the buttons when I sit down and doesn't look like a tent when I stand up! 2) Jeans - proper jeans with zips and pockets and rivets and fancy stitching! I've had the Ginger jeans pattern for a year and haven't managed to print it out yet!3) Knickers - big, comfy, full coverage, not split you in half or roll down knickers!4)finish my Dahlia dress that is still sitting on my mannequin looking rather unlovedand 5) find a good supplier of scrummy knit fabrics that won't cost me an arm or leg to get to NZ! Oooh and Double Gauze...... you can not get that here AT ALL! I'm so jealous of you Northern Hemisphere-ians!! :D

I am looking forward to your lingerie posts very much. As a K-cup it is almost impossible to find bras in funky fabrics and colours without bankrupting oneself. Matching knickers would be fabulous too. Thank you in advance for the posts. Xx

Sewing undies is so worth it. I haven't bought RTW in about 10 years now and it's nice to know that mine just fit. I've worn the heck out of them, though, so I'll be joining you in making (more) knickers, and soon.

As to the rain jacket, I see Style Arc has a very similar jacket to the Burda and Minarou, but with the advantage of extended sizing, and Ann of Sewing Engineer morphed the Minarou hood onto her SA Romy. So ... what about this idea ... sew the SA but also purchase the Minarou for the instructions (and zipper front). Yes, 2 indie patterns for one coat is more expensive but think of the Minarou as a sewing class. You've already got classes and patterns you've bought and not used ... what's one more? :grin:

I would love to hear about your favorite local fabric shops sometimes (it got a tantalizing brief mention here!) Good for us local readers, and I know I always hunt through my favorite bloggists for recommendations, when I'm a visitor elsewhere too!